New Feature starting in March 2015

Bird Song of the Month May 2018

The Black-capped Chickadee is found all across North America and isconsidered cute or friendly. They are regular visitors to bird feeders and some people even feed them by hand. The basics are a black cap and a greenish-gray back. Their range overlaps with the Mountain Chickadees in the western mountains and the Boreal Chickadees in the boreal forest. Their range extends to the west coast but not to the islands such as Vancouver Island, where the Chestnut-backed Chickadee prevails. In the southeast of NA, the Carolina Chickadees take over. These birds are beautifully adapted for cold winters. They roost communally in woodpecker cavities; up to 36 have been noted in one roost. While sleeping they are able to lower their body temperature by 6 degrees C as another means of conserving energy.

These curious, often bold, birds have some variations in plumage and vocal sounds. The vocal sounds are learned from parents and therefore can be variable. The spring or summer song can be represented as fee-beee, cheese-burger or hey-sweetie. The common and familiar call is chicka-dee-dee-dee.